Rolling gage for paper-cutting machines



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. F. WILKBNING. ROLLING GAGE FOR PAPER CUTTING MACHINES.

. Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

a ma sfiuzer bz/ 7171 eizzlry (No Model.) I I 2 SheetsSheet 2.

- F. WILKBNING.

ROLLING GAGE FOR PAPER CUTTING MAGHINE$. No. 576,643. Patented Feb. 9,1897.

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' the clamp-bar.

7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIDERICH WILKENING, OF ELKl-IART, INDIANA.

ROLLING GAGE FOR PAPER-CUTTING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,643, dated February9, 1897. Application filed August 31,1896. Serial No. 604,490. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it. may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRIDERIOH WILKEN- ING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful Rolling Gage for Paper-Cuttin gMachines, of which the following is a specification.

Paper-cutting machines as generally constructed for use inprinting-offices, bookbindcries, paper-warehouses, and stationery-supplydepots are not well adapted for cutting paper, cardboard, &e., into verynarrow strips, owing to the fact that the clamp-bar for binding the pileof paper during the cutting operation is of such a Width as not to admitof gaging the cutter for strips of two inches or less.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an attachment to be used inconnection with the ordinary paper-cutting machines which will admit ofa machine being set for cutting paper into strips as narrow as may bedesired without requiring any alteration of the clamping mechanism orany other part of the paper-cutting machine, the said attachment beingindependent of the machine and applied thereto in such a manner andcapable of being shifted and adjusted to attain the desired end.

For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the inventionreference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the followingdescription.

The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction without departing fromthe principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and to afull disclosure of the invention an adaptation thereof is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail view showing theinvention applied. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the attachment. Fig.3 is a detail view showing the side gage, its mountings, and the partscooperating therewith. Fig. 4: is a detail view of the mechanism forthrowing the side gage out of the way upon the descent of Fig. 5 is atransverse section showing the carriage depressed. Fig. 6 is a detailview of the upper end of a guide-rod,

the transverse and stay bars mounted thereon, and the spring supportedby the guide-rod for returning the transverse bar to a normal position.Fig. 7 is a detail view of a clip and key forsecuring the gage in place.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference-characters.

The base 1 of the attachment may be of suitable design, but ispreferably of skeleton form. Standards 2 rise from the rear end of thebase and are secured to the latter at their lower ends in anysubstantial way, and are connected by a cross-bar 3. Side plates 4 areattached at their lower ends to the base and at their rear edges to thestandards 2, and have vertical slots 5, forming ways for the groovedpulleys 6 of the carriage '7 to travel in.

Guide-rods 8, extending parallel with the standards 2, have connectionat their lower ends with the base 1 and are braced at their upper endsby stays 9, which have adjustable connection with the upper ends of thestandards 2 by operating in slots 10, formed in the standards 2 near theupper ends thereof. Coil-springs 11 are mounted upon the guiderods 8 andexert an upward pressure against the carriage or a transverse bar 12thereof, said transverse bar having vertical openings near itsextremities to receive the guide-rods 8, which pass looselytherethrough. Ears 13 are located upon opposite sides of the openings atthe ends of the bar 12 and support pins upon which are mountedantifriction- .rollers 14, which bear against the guide-rods 8 andrelieve the friction between the transverse bar 12 and the rods 8 duringthe reciprocating movements of the carriage.

The carriage comprises horizontal plates 15 and 16, disposed atdifferent elevations, and an intermediate bar 17, to which the plates 15and 16 are firmly and rigidly secured. A strip 18 is secured to the rearedge of the plate 15 and terminates in journals upon which are mountedthe grooved pulleys 6. Brackets 19 are fastened to the bar 17 andprovide journals for a roller 20, which extends parallel with andadjacent to the intermediate bar 17 and has its lower portion approaching close to the top side of the plate 16. Arms 91 are slidably mountedupon the terminal portions of the plate 16 and are retained in place bykeys 22, passing through openings in the projecting terminals of theplate 16. Each arm 21 has a slot 23 and a threaded portion 24, thelatter operating in a cult 25, provided at the end of the plate 16. Anadjusting-nnt 26 is mounted upon the threaded portionfZ t and obtains abearing against the cuff and serves to properly position the arm,whereby the front portion of the gage may be brought parallel to theplane of the knife. A roller 27 is journaled at its ends in theprojeetingportions of the arms 21, and its upper portion is about in theplane of the top side of the plate 16. A web or strip of canvas or otherflexible material is fastened at its lower end to the base 1 and extendsvertically and passes over the roller 27, thence horizontally over theplate 16, beneath the roller 20, and is secured at its upperend to aroller 28, which is j ournaled in the side plates 4, and which issupplied at one end with a ratchet-wheel 29 to be engaged by a pawl 30to prevent the roller 28 from turning backward after the loose endportion of the canvas or flexible material 31 is wound thereon. Thecanvas or flexible material 31 is subjected to tension and is heldbetween stationary parts. \Vhen depressing the carriage, theinter-mediate portion of the canvas or flexible material 31 will passover the roller 27 and beneath the roller 20, thereby preserving therelationship of the parts and maintaining the flexible material 31 undera uniform tension.

The transverse bar 12 has connection with the carriage proper by meansof rods 32, the latter having their lower ends rigidly secured to theinner edge portions of the plates 15 and 16 and to the bar 17, whereasthe upper ends of the rodsare threaded and pass loosely through verticalopenings in the bar 12, adjustingnuts 33 being mounted upon the threadedextremities of the rods 32, so as to adjust the carriage vertically andvary the tension of the springs 11.

The side gage 34E for evening the ends of the strips is a plate andissecured at its rear end to a turn-post 35, suitably journaled at itsends, the upper journal obtaining a bearing in a bracket 36, which isfastened in any convenient way to the upper ends of the adjacentstandard 2 and guide-rod 8. A spring 37 has one terminal in engagementwith the side gage and its opposite terminal in en gagementwitha part ofthe frame, and is designed to hold the side gage close against the edgeof the base 1. A setscrew 38 is let into a threaded opening near theinner end of the side gage and bears laterally against the adjacent sideplate, and serves to limit the folding movement of the side gage towardthe base. A groove 39 extends longitudinally of the turn-p0st, and anedge portion of a side wall is slightly curved, forming a cam l0, whichis engaged by a projection 41 of the transverse bar 12, so that upondepressing the carriage the turn-post will have imparted thereto aquarter-turn, whereby the side gage is caused to sit at right angles tothe adjacent side plate 4. By this means the side gageis withdrawn fromthe path of the clamp bar of the paper-cutter when the said clampbardescends to bind the paper to be cut. The carriage must be adjusted tosuch a height so that when it lowers with the clamp-bar the side gagewill be thrown out of the way before the clamp-bar can possibly come incontact therewith. \Vhen itis not desired to use the side gage, thelatter is held back out of the way by a short chain 45 or similarconnection which has attachment with the side gage and with thecontiguous side plate A leaf 34 is adjustably secured to the free end ofthe plate 34 by binding-screws 34 operating in longitudinal slots 35 inthe said plate 34. This construction admits of the gage being lengthenedor shortened according to the size of the paper to be out.

The attachment is applied to the ordinary gage or to the bed of thepaper-cutting machine, and is capable of adjustment so that the papermay be cut into strips of any desired width from two inches or less. Asshown, clips are loosely mounted upon the standards 2,and slott edplates or keys 44 have adjustable connection therewith by means of boltsand thumb-nuts 15 or equivalent m cans, and the ordinary gage 4:6 isclamped between the plates -14.- and the standards 2, the attachmentbeing movable with the said gage 4.6 when adjusting the latter by meansof the rod in the usual way.

That portion of the canvas or flexible strip 31 extending verticallybetween the base 1 and the roller 27 constitutes the gage proper, andwhen it is required to cut paper into strips of less width than theclamp-bar 47 of the paper-cutting machine the attachment is adjusteduntil the distance between the gage and the plane traveled by the knife48 corresponds with the required width of strip, and after the paper 49is placed in position the clamp-bar is lowered in the usual way and,engaging with the arms 21, causes the carriage to descend and binds thepaper, provision being had for the movement of the canvas or flexiblestrip over the plate 16 by having the clamp-bar engage with the arms 21,so as to form a space between the top side of the plate 16 and the lowerside of the clamp-bar. After the cutting is effected and the clamp-barascends the carriage will rise by the expansion of the springs 11,previously compressed by the lowering of the carriage.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Agage for paper-cuttin g machines, comprising a base, a flexible stripattached to the base and extending therefrom, forming a stop for theedges of the paper to abut against, a carriage for determining theheight of the stop and movable toward and from the base to adapt itselfto the pile of paper to be cut,

and means for preserving a tension upon the flexible-strip at allpositions of the carriage, substantially as set forth.

2. A gage comprising a base, a flexible strip secured to the base andhaving a vertical portion, and a movable carriage having the flexiblestrip applied thereto, substantially as shown for the purpose described.

3. In a gage, the combination of a flexible strip secured at its endsand normally subjected to tension, and a movable carriage provided withrollers to deflect the flexible strip between its ends and adapted torelieve the friction incident to the relative movement between theflexible strip and carriage during the movements of the latter,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a gage, the combination of a flexible strip secured at its endsand normally subjected to tension, a carriage constructed to movevertically and having an approximately horizontal portion, and rollersdisposed in different relative planes and at opposite portions of thehorizontal part of the carriage, and having the said flexible strippassing beneath one roller and over the other roller, substantially asshown for the purpose set forth.

5. In a gage, the combination of a flexible strip secured at its endsand normally subjected to tension, a movable carriage, and a roller atthe front end of the carriage for the flexible strip to pass over andcapable of ad j ustment to properly position the vertical portion of theflexible strip, substantially as set forth for the purpose described.

6. In a gage, the combination of a flexible strip secured at its endsand normally subjected to tension, a movable carriage, arms adjustablyconnected with the carriage, and a roller j ournaled in the arms andhaving the front portion of the flexible strip passing thereover,substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a gage, the combination of a base having vertical portions, aroller journaled in the vertical portions of the base and provided withmeans to secure it against backward rotation, a flexible strip securedat one end to the base and at its opposite end to the roller, andadapted to have a portion wound upon the said roller, avertically-movable carriage having an approximately horizontal portion,a roller at the inner end of the horizontal portion and having itslowest element about in the plane of the top side of the said horizontalportion of the carriage, a second roller located at the front end of thehorizontal portion of the carriage and having its upper portion about inthe plane of the top side of the horizontal part of the carriage, thesaid flexible strip passing under the inner roller and over the outerroller, and means for return ing the carriage to a normal position afterbeing depressed, substantially as described.

8. In a gage, the combination of guiderods, springs mounted upon theguide-rods, a movable carriage, a bar directed in its movements by theaforesaid guide-rods and receiving the end thrust of the springs, rodsconnecting the carriage with the said bar, and adjustable connectionsfor varying the distance between the carriage and the bar with which itis connected, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a gage, the combination of a vertically-movable carriage, a striphaving con-nection with the carriage and constituting an adj ustablestop, a post having a cam portion to be engaged by the carriage foreffecting a turning thereof, a gage attached to and movable with thesaid post, and a set-screw for limiting the throw or turning of the postand gage, substantially as described.

10. In a gage, the combination of a turnpost havinga longitudinal guideformed with a cam portion, a side gage having connection with theturn-post, and a carriage movable vertically and having a portion toengage with the guide of the turn-post to effect a turning of the latterupon the descent of the carriage, substantially as set forth.

11. A gage attachment for paper-cutting machines, comprising a basehaving standards and guide-rods, and side plates formed .with verticalslots, clips movable upon the standards and having slotted platesadjustably connected therewith, a vertically-movable carriage havingrollers operating in the vertical slots of the side plates, a transversebar adjustably connected with the carriage and operating upon theguide-rods, springs mounted upon the guide-rods and exerting an upwardpressure against the transverse bar, a vertical turn post having a guideformed with a cam portion and adapted to be engaged by a projectingportion of the said transverse bar to be actuated when lowering thecarriage, a side gage having connection with the turn-post, and aflexible strip secured at its endsto the base and a roller connectingthe'side plates, and normally subjected to tension, and adapted totravelover a horizontal portion of the carriage when the latter movesupward or downward, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRIDERIOH WVILKENING. Witnesses:

ELLIOTT ORULL, CHAS. D. BURLINGAME.

